Acceptance
by ScotsGirl96
Summary: There's a new girl at Anubis House, but Rebecca carries with her a terrible secret. Will the others accept her once they find out? SIBUNA!
1. New Beginnings

New term, new start, Jerome thought, as he stared back up at Anubis House. Summer had been memorable, and Jerome had actually had fun. Although he didn't realise it, Jerome had matured this summer, finally growing up to make his parents proud of him – though, now he was back here, it was time to become the Jerome that everyone knew and – well, he didn't really know what they thought of him. He opened the door, and dragged his suitcase to his room. He opened the door and was immediately struck by the ordinariness of it all. As he started to unpack, Alfie came in. "Dude! You're back!" The boys hi-fived and gave each other a hug. "Good to see you, mate," Jerome replied. "How was your summer?" Alfie shrugged. "It was okay, nothing special…spent a lot of time with Amber." Jerome stared at him in surprise. "I didn't hear you two were an item, congrats man!" Alfie smiled. "Yeah, we're pretty happy. So, Nina and Fabian, Mick and Mara, me and Amber – what about you and Patricia?" Jerome did a double take, stared at Alfie, and began convulsing in laughter. "Me – and – Patricia?" he laughed. "What on EARTH would give you that idea?" Alfie began to laugh, then him and Jerome headed out to greet the others, who were now filling the hall with laughs and chatter.

"Nina!" Fabian cried, catching sight of his girlfriend and pulling her into a hug. "Fabian! I missed you so much!" They kissed passionately, but broke apart to laughter and wolf whistles. "Phew, get a room you two!" Jerome shouted, but a look from Mara and he was instantly sober again. "Hey, Mara." Mara smiled at him shyly, then squealed as Mick hugged her from behind. Alfie ran to help Amber with her bright pink bags. Jerome stood there in the middle of it all, soaking it all up. "Bit of a mess, isn't it?" said a voice beside him. "Yeah," he agreed absentmindedly, before realising that the voice wasn't anyone he knew. Jerome turned to face the person beside him. She was smaller than him – but that was no surprise, he was tallest in the House now. She had dark glossy hair which was iron-straight, glinting chestnut brown and coppery red wherever her hair touched the light. She was very pale, her skin fair as sunlight, with a slight spattering of freckles across her nose. Her eyes were pale blue, almost icy, yet with navy rims along the iris – Jerome had the strangest sensation that he'd seen similar eyes before. "Hi," he said, looking down at her. "I'm Jerome." She smiled shyly. "Hi, I'm Rebecca. Please to meet you." They smiled at one another, before Nina came over to say hello.

"Hey Jerome, good summer?" He nodded in consent, then disappeared back to his room. Rebecca stared after him. "Is he always like that?" she wondered aloud. Nina hid a smile. "Yeah, he's not very sociable to begin with. But hey, I'm Nina. I think you're sharing with me and Amber. I love your hair! It's so good to meet you!" Rebecca grinned. "Thanks, but it's not this naturally. Straighteners do work magic after all!" The two girls smiled, and began to make their way upstairs with their bags. They had just made it onto the landing when Victor came out to say hello – or shout, which seemed to be his preference. "All right, just because you're all back doesn't mean that we must be loud the very moment we walk through the door." He caught sight of Rebecca, who went even paler at the sight of him glaring at her. "Who is this, Miss Martin?" Rebecca regained herself. "My name is Rebecca Onez," she said in a clear, strong voice. Nina was impressed – she herself rarely had the guts to speak like that to Victor. "I'm new here this term. Nina was just showing me where to put my things. I have a letter for the housemaster." Victor extended his hand, and Rebecca handed him a large brown envelope with the words "Extremely private and confidential" printed in bold red on the front. Nina watched all this curiously, before heading through the door. Rebecca stared at Victor, almost as if recognising him, but then shook herself out of her trance and followed Nina to her new room.


	2. The Histories

It was First Night Dinner in Anubis House. Trudy had made everyone's favourite – pizza, burgers, pasta, salad for Amber, and a huge chocolate cake with fruit for dessert. Everyone was happy and talked energetically. It wasn't long until it was Rebecca's turn to be questioned. "So, Rebecca, what are you doing in a place like this?" asked Alfie. "Yeah, tell us about your life, Bex!" joined in Patricia. Rebecca looked down and fiddled with her napkin. "There's not much to tell, I'm afraid," she said hesitantly. Nina smiled at her. "I'm sure you must have a lot of stories. Trust me on this one, we can take anything scary. For example, my parents died in a car accident." Fabian took her hand. "My parents are history freaks," he said, smiling. "My parents are big in law!" Alfie chattered. "My parents run a massive spa company," Amber said shortly, before breaking into a big smile. "My parents are Olympic athletes – not quite what you would expect from me, right?" That was Mara, and Rebecca looked at her in surprise. "Really?" Mara nodded, but then Patricia butted in. "So come on, what happened to get you here then?" Rebecca looked around at them all, her gaze lingering on Jerome for a split second longer than the others. She took a deep breath and spoke whilst looking down at her still-full plate.

"My parents were murdered; I was taken to the orphanage when I was seven." There was a shocked silence. Nina looked at her sympathetically, and Jerome stared at Bex, shocked.

Amber, however, didn't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation and, with her usual tact, said, "So how did you manage to get _here_?" Jerome threw her an angry glance. "That's up for Rebecca to tell us, Amber," he hissed. "No, no, it's okay, you can know!" Rebecca piped up. "I'd hate to cause any consternation in the house. I'm a talented linguist. I specialise in Arabic and I translate Egyptian Hieroglyphs. The British Museum is funding my education here, especially because it's Anubis House." They all looked at her in surprise. "Well, that's certainly not the answer I was expecting," said Nina, smiling. "I'm impressed, newbie," said Patricia. Rebecca smiled at all of them, before looking at Jerome. He, too, was impressed. She gave him a tiny smile, which he returned. He was quite struck by this mysterious Rebecca – almost more than Mara last year. Nina and Amber looked at each other. Evidently the new girl had a crush on the prankster.


	3. Rebecca

A few weeks later, all the Anubis housemates had settled back into their school routine. Amber and Alfie had had a few tiffs, but were still going strong. Everyone agreed that Nina and Fabian were the perfect couple, whilst Mick and Mara were more complicated – they were off and on constantly, but since they could never stay away from each other, it seemed to work out. Only Rebecca was finding the schoolwork easy – the teachers this term had evidently decided that they wanted the students to work hard, but with Nina, Mara, Fabian and now Rebecca, who had been put into most of the advanced classes with the higher years, on call, the Anubis students were not feeling the pressure that badly, giving Rebecca and Jerome the chance to become closer friends than before. Although rarely together during school, they were almost inseparable in the House, constantly mucking around with each other. Jerome was pleasantly surprised that Bex loved watching horror films, but was dismayed that she beat him so easily at computer games. Rebecca, although quite shy, seemed more confident around him than the other student at Anubis House – with perhaps the exceptions of Amber and Nina. The three girls had become very close, and although Patricia often felt left out, she had to agree with Joy that the two of them, as well as Mara, made a much less complicated friendship.

However, Jerome was not one for making his feelings apparent, and at times it seemed to Rebecca that her secret crush on him was too secret. Little did she know that Amber and Nina had cottoned on.

The three girls were in their room. Amber was taking off her makeup after a hard slog at school; Nina was doing her homework. Meanwhile, Rebecca was sitting by the window, staring at the first stars appearing in the sky. "Hey, you okay?" Rebecca blinked, and then returned to sit on her bed. "Yeah, just thinking." Amber and Nina exchanged knowing looks. "About a certain tall, golden-haired, prankster prince?" Amber said slyly. Rebecca blushed as she realised who Amber was talking about. "No! Well, maybe…" Rebecca trailed away as Nina and Amber hi-fived. "We're better detectives that we thought, Amber." Amber smiled happily. "Yeah, especially after all the stuff that happened last year-" Nina threw Amber a look, and she fell silent. Thankfully, Rebecca didn't appear to notice. "Awh, you like him, don't you!" Amber cried, happy to change the subject. "I've barely known him for a month!" replied Rebecca. "It's not possible to have a crush after just a few weeks – is it?" Rebecca looked to Nina for confirmation. "Well, I met Fabian on my first day, and we got pretty close real quickly." A knock on the door startled the three girls. "Only me!" whispered Patricia. "Is she ready for her initiation?" Rebecca glanced at Nina, who looked apologetic. "Sorry, I meant to warn you. There's kind of an initiation thing here. You have to pick the lock on the attic door and bring something back. It's not too difficult." Rebecca nodded and pulled on her jumper. The rest of the housemates were waiting outside, holding torches aimed at their faces, giving them ghostly appearances. Their eyes were hidden by the shadows their torches cast, and Rebecca had an instant vision – _**a hooded man, his eyes just hidden, branding her**_. She jumped in fright at the vision, and began to cry. Patricia and the others looked on whilst Nina and Amber calmed Rebecca down from reaching a panic attack. Nina looked at Fabian helplessly, but Jerome was first to switch his light off. "Is she okay?" he whispered. Without warning, Rebecca turned around to face him, tears filling her eyes. She fell against Jerome, who instinctively caught her in his arms. The others giggled, but as Rebecca quieted and calmed, they fell silent. Rebecca walked out of Jerome's arms, and smiled at him so quickly he almost imagined it had happened.

"Sorry, just some – some bad memories coming up to the surface," Rebecca explained, slightly shaken, and without further ado walked to the door. She took a hairclip from her pocket, and just a couple of seconds later the door swung open. The others watched as she stole up to the attic, barely making a sound. Alfie looked at Patricia. "That was fast – faster than you, Trixie!" he grinned. However everyone jumped in fright as Rebecca screamed – a long, painful, frightened scream. Jerome sprinted up the attic stairs without a moment's thought, as Victor walked into the hallway. "What is going ON HERE?!" he shouted. Noting all their frightened faces, he walked slowly up the attic stairs.

He came back down soon after, empty handed. Everyone had disappeared, and so Victor walked back to his office.

Meanwhile, in the attic, Jerome slowly ducked out from underneath the sheet. Slowly, his hand over Rebecca's mouth, he pulled them both to their feet. Rebecca was calm again – whatever had possessed her to scream had gone, vanished from sight. He removed his hand from her mouth and she coughed quietly. "Sorry, Bex," he whispered. She smiled slightly, her lower lip trembling whilst her eyes sparkled. "I'm so sorry, I thought I saw someone I k-k-new up here and I got scared." He shook his head. "Your secret's safe with me, I promise." He laughed to himself. "Huh, I don't often say that without adding on a price at the end. I must be going soft. Who did you think you saw up here, anyway?" Rebecca took a deep, shaky breath. "I thought I saw – the man who murdered my parents." Jerome stared at her, shocked. Then he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I promise, that man will never hurt you. Not while I'm around…and the rest of the House is around," he added on quickly.

Rebecca looked at him, blushing slightly, and he looked back at her. They moved closer to each other, heads bending to meet the other's lips, when she drew back. He looked at her confused, but she had already left the attic.


	4. The Morning After

Rebecca had decided to have an early breakfast. She wanted to avoid the others. However, it seemed to be her unlucky day. As soon as Rebecca came into the breakfast room, everyone flocked to her side. "Are you okay?" "What happened?" "Wait, did you bring something back?" Rebecca nodded. "I wasn't sure why it was there, so I brought it down." From her bag glinted something gold. She began to pull it out, but both Nina and Amber lunged at her. Rebecca dodged and leapt out of harms reach, causing the two girls to fall over. Blinking, they stared up at her from the floor. Alfie started laughing, somewhat uneasily. The others joined in, although Rebecca noticed that Jerome was resolutely staring at his plate. "Bex, can I speak to you outside please?" said Nina, and before she had a chance to say yes Nina had dragged her outside. "What are you doing with that in there? Where did you find it?" she demanded. Rebecca pulled out – a golden bird. "Oh," Nina said, surprised. "You thought it was something…else?" asked Rebecca, frowning in confusion. Nina examined the golden bird. It was beautifully made, with a small indentation just below the beak. Nina was about to press the indentation, but just then, someone cleared their throat. Both Nina and Rebecca spun round to see Jerome leaning casually against the doorframe. "Nina, I hate to interrupt what must be a frightfully riveting story, but if you don't mind I need to speak to Rebecca. Alone," he added as Nina opened her mouth. She closed it, looked at the two of them, and walked back into the breakfast room.

"So," said Jerome, facing Rebecca with his arms crossed, "What exactly happened last night in the attic?" Rebecca looked surprised. "Absolutely nothing. I got scared and screamed, and we hid from Victor." But Jerome was insistent. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. We nearly – you nearly kissed me last night!" he hissed. "I want to know what is going on between us."

Rebecca stared at him. Her eyes really were the palest blue, but sharp as ice. They were hot and cold – ice burning like fire. He leant forward. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Bex," he murmured, mesmerised by her eyes. They moved closer together, Rebecca starting to blush, Jerome staring into her eyes intently. She shut her eyes at the exact moment that he gently pressed his lips against hers. They kissed once, twice, the prankster prince and the mysterious girl.

"WOAH!" a yell broke them apart. Jerome opened his eyes to see Alfie staring at them, pointing. "You – and – kissing – OH MY GOD!" he laughed and pointed. "Jerome has feelings!" he cried to everyone in the breakfast room. Bright red, Jerome shoved past Rebecca, grabbed his bag from the bottom of the stairs and disappeared through the front door, just as everyone came out. Nina looked at Rebecca. "Rebecca? What just happened?" Rebecca looked at Alfie. "Congratulations. You've just embarrassed both of us." She spun around and ran up the stairs, starting to sob. "Rebecca, wait!" Amber called, and ran up the stairs after her. Nina grabbed her bag and pointedly left for school with Fabian. Following her lead, everyone walked back to their rooms, packed their bags and left for school.


	5. Amber's Magic

Amber knocked on the door and walked in, finding Rebecca sitting on her bed, tears dripping off her nose. "Hey, it's okay," Amber soothed, sitting down beside her and giving her a hug. "Alfie – has probably – ruined – everything!" Rebecca sobbed. "I really like him, Amber, I don't know what to do anymore!" Amber grabbed some tissues and handed them to Rebecca, before standing up and facing her. "Look, Bex, if you really like – Jerome – then you have to tell him. Besides, now that you've kissed, you officially have a thing going on, which means you're practically a couple anyway." Rebecca smiled through her tears. "You really think he likes me?" Amber nodded. "I'm sure of it. Trust me Rebecca; I am the Queen of Hearts." Rebecca wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, giving Amber a glimpse of a blood-red tattoo on the inside of her wrist. "What's that?" Amber demanded, but Rebecca rolled down her sleeve in the same instant, hiding the tattoo from sight. "What's what?" she asked, confused. Amber shook her head. "Nothing, I guess." Then she took a long look at Rebecca's face. "Sit down," she instructed, dragging Rebecca over to her desk. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no way you can go to school with all your makeup smudged and your hair a mess. I'll redo it for you." Rebecca started to protest, but Amber ignored her. Rebecca sighed and closed her eyes, allowing Amber reapply her makeup – and sneakily add a bit more on. When she had finished, Rebecca opened her eyes – and gasped. Her makeup and her hair were _perfect_. Rebecca threw her arms around Amber. "I look amazing! How – why?" Rebecca was lost for words. Amber smiled happily. "Because I believe in happy endings. Now, come on! We've got a boy to impress." Then she glanced at the clock. "But we'll have to do it at school; we're going to be so late." The two girls beamed at each other, collected their school things and left for school.


	6. Jerome Plucks Up His Courage

Jerome was slumped at his desk when Alfie walked into the classroom. "Mate, I'm really sorry," Alfie started to apologise, but Jerome shook his head and sighed. "Nah, it's fine. I don't really know what's going on with her and me anymore." Alfie looked at him curiously. "I thought you liked her? Not sure why, she's a bit…strange. But hey, that's your call." Jerome shook his head. "I don't think she feels the same way. Back there, in the entrance hall, it was me kissing her. Maybe we should just be friends." Alfie clapped him on the back. "I'm sorry, buddie." At that moment, the rest of the Anubis students came through, although Rebecca wasn't among them. Amber and Nina sat in front of Jerome and Alfie, giving Jerome the opportunity he needed. He leant forward and whispered to Amber, "Where's Rebecca? Is she okay?" Amber turned round and smiled at him slyly. "You'll see." Almost instantaneously Rebecca walked through the door. The reaction was immediate. Both Mick and Fabian glanced at her, then did a double-take, before swinging round to ask their respective girlfriends about this new, improved Rebecca. Alfie wolf-whistled and clapped Jerome on the back, who simply stared at her. Bex smiled at everyone shyly. Her cheeks were ever so slightly pinker, her eyes lined with brown eyeliner and gold eye shadow which shimmered slightly, bringing out the blue in her eyes. She looked as if she had just arrived back from a week on the beach. Even her hair was beautiful, curling into ringlets almost naturally, making her hair glow with chestnut brown and copper red. She was stunning. Absolutely stunning. At last, her eyes met Jerome's, and he alone saw the uncertainty and nervousness that she seemed to hide so well. He swallowed, vaguely aware that everyone was staring at him. "You – you look nice," he managed to stammer out. Rebecca went very pink, but fortunately Jerome was saved by the entrance of the teacher. He went back to slumping in his chair, but for the rest of the lesson his eyes were on Rebecca.

Meanwhile, Rebecca grinned at Amber. "I think it's working!" she mouthed. "Duh!" Amber mouthed back.


	7. At Long Last

Finally, lunch time arrived, but Jerome couldn't eat. Eventually Alfie spoke up. "Jerome, just go and talk to her already." He nodded, took a deep breath, and made his way over to her. Rebecca was sitting with Amber and Nina, laughing, but as soon as Jerome approached, she fell silent and stared at him. Eventually, Amber and Nina understood. "We'll – give you two some privacy," Nina said, and she and Amber left the room. Rebecca stood up, not meeting Jerome's eyes. "Um – do you – would you like to go for a walk?" Rebecca nodded. "Yeah, okay," she said shyly, and they walked together out of the door. Amber and Nina slowly poked their heads back round the side of the doorway. "Oh, I hope she's okay!" Amber said anxiously. "Her makeup isn't waterproof!"

Jerome led Rebecca to a sheltered spot underneath a patch of trees. The school was just in sight, the tops of the chimneys peeking above the treeline. He shrugged off his school bag and sat down, gesturing for Natalie to do the same. She did, but sat opposite, not next to him. They faced each other, and there was a sudden awkwardness. Jerome cleared his throat. "Bex, about this morning -" Rebecca interrupted him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen," she blurted. "I just – I'm trying so hard not to fall for you, because you didn't seem to see me that way. But this morning, and last night -" she stopped, eyes filling with tears. Jerome leant across to brush away the tears as they fell down her face, his fingers lingering and shaping around Rebecca's face. Rebecca stared at him, then leant away from his touch. Jerome immediately drew back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." he trailed away, before taking a deep breath and continuing. "I didn't realise how you felt about me until this morning, when we – we kissed. But," he hurried on, seeing a sentence come to Bex's lips, "It wasn't until this morning that I realised how I truly feel. About you. How I truly feel about you. I just can't stop thinking about you. The way you looked this morning, in class – I realised that you're not just my best friend. You're also one of the prettiest girls I know." They stared at each other, stunned by his confession. Rebecca got up and faced back towards the school. She sighed, and pressed her fingertips to her forehead. Taking this as a sign, Jerome got up as well and came to stand beside her. They said nothing for a moment, then turned to face each other. Wordlessly, Jerome cupped Rebecca's face in his hands, tilting it towards his own. He bent down, closing his eyes, and kissed her softly, sweetly.

When Jerome's lips touched hers, Rebecca's heart sped up. She clung to Jerome, the kiss deepening, intensifying. It was fire and ice – the two that should never have been combined yet exploded whenever they came into contact. She could feel Jerome's heart thumping in his chest as he wrapped his hands tenderly around her waist and pulled her close. Rebecca slipped her hands around his neck, pulling him towards her in turn. They stayed in one continuous kiss, afraid to break apart, even for a second. Eventually they did, but only to stare at one another again, increasingly incredulous smiles breaking upon both their faces. "Does this mean you want to be my girl, Bex?" asked Jerome, grinning. "'Kay," she answered shyly. Jerome chuckled. "'Kay? All right, I guess that'll do." He gave her a sudden hug, picking her up and swinging her around. Then he put her down and his face grew serious. "But do we tell the others?" She looked at him thoughtfully. "Maybe not – just for a bit." He nodded. Jerome completely understood her logic – the last thing they needed was the other couples in the house getting in the way. "So we keep this -" he gestured to their entwined hands –"a secret?" Rebecca nodded. He leant in and kissed her briefly, then leant forward until their foreheads were touching. "This can be our secret place," he whispered to her. They broke apart, and retrieved their separate schoolbags, before joining hands and beginning to walk back to school together. Bex stopped, and Jerome stopped as well, looking at her with concern. "You okay?" he said. Bex nodded. "Just thinking – why don't we skip school for the rest of the day? We can catch up later." Jerome grinned, a twinkle in his eye. "Do you want to go to town then or something?" Bex nodded. Smiling mischievously, they slung their bags onto the branch of a low tree, and walked through the grounds towards the nearby town.


	8. Bex's Tale

"So," Jerome said, leaning back on his chair and stretching, "Was that not the best food you have ever tasted?" Bex nodded, laughing at him as he toppled backwards off his chair. Almost immediately he got back up, rubbing his head and looking embarrassed. Extending a hand, Jerome smiled. "I know a great spot by the river. Want to go?" Bex took his hand and rose gracefully to her feet. "Let's do it." As she took his hand Jerome suddenly noticed a blood-red tattoo on the inside of her wrist, but said nothing.

Later, they were lying side by side on the grassy hill overlooking the river, holding hands. Bex turned on her side to face Jerome, who did the same. "Tell me about what happened to you," he said, staring into her eyes. She sighed and sat up, clasping her hands around her knees. "It's quite a complicated story," she said. Jerome sat up next to her. "I've got time." She looked at him, took a deep breath and began her story.

"My parents were wonderful people. They loved Ancient Egypt and nearly all of my memories with them are in Egypt on holiday. My father was actually a native Arabic speaker, it was in Egypt that he and my mother met. We were the happiest family. My father was always dealing with ancient Egyptian artefacts, and he made a lot of deals with some shady people. Eventually my mother made him stop. But then one day a man came to the house. He threw us into a room, demanded that we tell him everything about what we had learnt about the Golden One. My mother was – was killed first. Then he told my dad that – that I would be next – if – if -" Bex was crying now, tears cascading down her face. Jerome watched her in silence, shocked to his very core. "-if he didn't tell the man where he had hidden the Golden Idol. But he didn't know what the man was talking about, and so the man killed my father as well." Rebecca fell silent, staring at the river. Jerome put his arm around her comfortingly, but she shook it off. "The story isn't over, Jerome," she whispered, and rolled up her sleeve, exposing the scarlet tattoo on the inside of her wrist. Jerome gasped as he realised that it was the Eye of Horus. He took her wrist in his hand. "Oh, Bex," he whispered, stroking the tattoo with his fingertips. "I'm so, so sorry. It's so - _red_." Rebecca nodded sorrowfully. "That's because it was tattooed with ink made from my parent's blood." Jerome stared at her in horror, still lightly holding her wrist. Bex looked at him.

"It's not your fault, Jerome. When he branded me, he told me that I was his. That one day he would reclaim the favour he gave me by sparing my life." Bex was shaking hard now, and she leant into Jerome, who hugged her tightly.

"I promise, Bex, that man will never come near you again. Not while I'm here," Jerome said determinedly. "Now come on, we'd best get back before Victor notices we skipped class."


	9. Jebex

Outside Anubis House Amber and Nina were waiting anxiously. As Jerome and Bex came into view, holding hands, Nina turned to Amber. "C'mon, we need to hide!" Amber looked at her in confusion. "What? Why? Aw, they are just the cutest couple EVER!" Nina shook her. "Let's just go inside, we should give them some privacy." Amber nodded and the two girls went inside. Little did Nina know that Amber was cleverer than people thought. She was already planning their 'Jebex' photo album.

Meanwhile, Jerome and Bex had stopped outside the front door. They stopped holding hands, but instead Jerome touched her face gently. She closed her eyes, smiling, and Jerome leant forward to kiss her. They kissed once, but Bex broke the kiss. Confused, Jerome looked at her. "Did I do something wrong?" Rebecca smiled and shook her head. "No, but we agreed to keep it a secret for a while, didn't we?" Jerome smiled ruefully and nodded. Quick as a snake, Bex kissed him on the cheek, and slipped inside, whilst he was left there, staring out at the scenic grounds. He shook his head and went inside the house.

Bex ran up the stairs and into her room, sighing happily at what had been an almost perfect afternoon. She sat down on her bed, looking up at the ceiling, but barely had she begun to daydream than Amber and Nina burst in. "Well?" "Are you guys together now or what?" Amber and Nina were seriously hyped, and Bex didn't want to bring them down, but she and Jerome had promised to keep it quiet for a bit. "Well, I'm not supposed to say anything, but.." she trailed off and smiled shyly at them. "Ohmigosh congratulations! Aaah!" Amber squealed, whilst Nina gave Bex a hug. Then she suddenly drew back. "Amber, I completely forgot! Sorry, Bex, we kinda got something to do." Rebecca looked at her curiously. "You mean Sibuna?"

Nina looked at Rebecca in shock. How could she know about Sibuna? "Did Jerome tell you?" Bex shook her head. "You seemed to have a secret group of some kind, and from the way you guys act around each other, and around Victor, I assumed it would be anti-Anubis – ergo, Sibuna." Nina had to admit, she was impressed with Bex's reasoning. Amber turned to Nina. "Nina, Rebecca is such a nice person. Please can she be a Sibuna?" "I don't know, Amber," Nina said uneasily. "Please! With sprinkles and a cherry on top?" Amber smiled sweetly, and hugged Bex with glee as Nina slowly nodded. "I'll think about it, okay?" Bex hugged Amber back, exposing her tattoo.

"What's that on your wrist, Bex?" Nina asked, grabbing Rebecca's hand. Rebecca pulled her hand out of Nina's grasp hurriedly. "Nothing," she stuttered, and fled from the room. Amber looked at Nina in surprise. "Do you mean that tattoo? Yeah, I saw it ages ago but I wasn't sure what it was." Nina looked at Amber. "Looks like we've got our next task. C'mon, we'll quiz her later."


	10. Normality at Last

However, to Nina's dismay they didn't get the chance. Mick and Alfie had decided to take it upon themselves to cook dinner, the result being Trudy calling a taxi and going to town to buy everyone fish and chips – no one much wanted to eat burnt Marshmallow Pizza and butternut squash fruit juice. After Victor had shouted at them, and told them to eat their own food as a punishment, he sent them all to bed early. "We'll ask her tomorrow," Nina whispered to Amber, who nodded. They watched the girl in question, chatting to Mara and Joy. It was Jerome and Fabian's turn to do the washing up, but they didn't seem to be getting very far. "Fabian, come here for a second, would you?" Nina called. Fabian smiled at her, and, wiping his hands dry on the tea towel, came and sat down on the sofa next to her. "Oi! Rutter! We're not done!" Jerome shouted angrily. Fabian cast an apologetic look at Nina, and stood up. "No, it's okay, Fabian," Bex said, shooting out of her seat. "I'll help Jerome." She trotted off to the kitchen, whilst Fabian sat down again.

"What was that about?" he asked Nina teasingly. "They're a secret couple," Amber said excitedly, "But more than that, we have more pressing issues to attend to." Fabian raised his eyebrows and twisted around to watch Jerome and Bex, who's red tattoo was peeking out underneath her long sleeve top. "Wait, what's that on her wrist?" he wondered aloud. Nina and Amber looked at each other. "Well, that's what we want to find out," Nina explained. "But we don't want to sound rude. Do you have any ideas?" Fabian stared at her. "Erm, I'll think about it. But hey, I was going to ask you. Do you want to go out this weekend? There's a new film out that looks great." Nina nodded, her eyes softening as she smiled. Amber rolled her eyes and skipped off to see Alfie. The couple watched her leave, and almost immediately Nina scooted onto the sofa, Fabian's arm around her comfortingly. "This is…weird," Nina said thoughtfully. Fabian looked at her curiously. "What?" he asked. "Me having my arm around my girlfriend is weird?" Nina giggled.

"No, not that, silly! I mean – there's no mystery. We're just normal." Fabian nodded as he realised what she meant. "You mean, even though you're the Chosen One and the Cup of Immortality was actually here in the house, we're living a normal life?" Nina giggled and nodded. "Well, when you put it that way…" she murmured. Fabian smiled and Nina closed her eyes. Taking this as a sign, Fabian leant in and kissed her gently on the mouth. She kissed him back, and soon Fabian could feel her heart beating against his own. It was a lovely kiss, full of butterflies and quickening hearts, but all too soon he heard Jerome shouting. "Oh, get a room you two!" Fabian and Nina broke apart to see Bex splashing water at Jerome. He laughed and began to splash her back. "I'd get out while you can, guys!" Bex shouted, laughing. "I'll hold him off!" Taking it as their cue to leave, Nina and Fabian quietly left the living room holding hands.


	11. The Great Soap War

Jerome stared at Bex. She was covered in soap suds, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Come on, then," she taunted, "Or are you chicken?" Jerome grabbed a handful of suds from the sink and walked forward slowly. "Come on now, Bex," he started, "Be reasonable. I'm tall, good-looking and a guy. We own soap fights." He ducked as she sprayed him with washing up liquid, only to lean in close and smush his handful of suds into her hair. She laughed and sprayed him again, getting washing up liquid all over his shirt and neck. "Oi!" he said indignantly, and made to grab her. Unfortunately for Jerome, the floor was slippery and he fell over in a heap. Dazed, he made a grab for Bex's feet, but to his amazement she nimbly jumped over his head and landed perfectly on the other side of the kitchen. "Okay, what was that?" Jerome asked, getting to his feet. "What can I say? I was a gymnast at my old school," Bex answered good—naturedly, but before she could grab a handful of soap suds Jerome came close and grabbed her wrists. "What are you doing? Get off!" she said, laughing, but Jerome merely leaned over her. He dropped her wrists, there was no need to hold them – Bex was already in a corner of the kitchen. He looked into the living room quickly to check that there was no one there.

Bex's heart began to speed up. What was Jerome doing? She was helpless, stuck in the corner. Nevertheless, she clenched her fists by her side as he stared into her eyes. "It's been hours since I kissed you," he whispered. She relaxed in relief and gave him a tiny smile. "Well, we can't have that, can we?" she whispered back. He gave her a charming smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and caressed her face with his hand. Bex closed her eyes as Jerome kissed her tattoo, on the inside of her wrist. He kissed the tip of her nose, her forehead, her cheek. He kissed the corner of her mouth and finally, _finally_, kissed her properly on the mouth. Again, it was a continuous kiss, each afraid to break apart from the other, but Bex's heart went mad. She closed her eyes and kissed him back.

Jerome's heart was thumping loudly. Bex kissing him was incredible. It was an explosion, fire and ice, the sun and the moon, and he loved it. Rebecca entwined her hands around his neck, pulling him closer, and, soon enough, he could feel her heart beating against him. He lowered his hands to her waist and pulled her closer, before lifting her up to the kitchen counter. She broke away to look at him indignantly. "Why am I up here?" she said. "Hey, I'm the tallest guy in the house. You're a titch compared to me," he said, chuckling, and kissed her again. This kiss was sweeter, kinder. There were footsteps behind them, and Fabian walked in.

"Oh," he said confused, turning bright red, "I'll – just – I'll leave you to it…." He walked quickly out of the room and Bex and Jerome burst out laughing. They closed the distance between their faces but did not kiss – instead, they touched foreheads, leaning against one another. Jerome smiled, staring into Bex's eyes. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you," he murmured. Bex giggled. "Well, stick around and you might find I have plenty more to share."

They broke apart and Jerome turned away. His shirt was wet through, and Bex could see a dark mark on his back. She gasped and he whirled around. "Bex?" his voice was low. "You okay?" She swallowed and nodded, but couldn't meet his eyes. "What's wrong?" Jerome asked, worried.

"On your back…" Bex trailed away as Jerome's face darkened. "Is it a birthmark or something? Jerome?" He sighed and leaned back against the island counter. "I was involved in a fire when I was young. It's a burn." Bex watched him as he slowly took his shirt off and showed her his back. A large, faded burn covered nearly his entire upper back and shoulders.

Jerome heard Bex's sharp intake of breath and started to turn around, but instead felt her hands on his shoulders. He stayed facing away and suddenly he could feel her fingers skimming his burn. "What are you doing?" he chuckled quietly, but was only met by silence. "Bex?" he asked, and turned around to see her eyes filled with tears. "Bex? What's wrong?" he demanded.

Bex sniffed, and immediately he held out his arms. He caught her waist and pulled her close, embracing her in such a way that Bex finally felt safe in his arms. He kissed the top of her head as she snuggled closer. "What happened, Jerome?" she asked in a small voice. "Why are you burning?" Jerome looked down at her curly hair. "Burning?" he asked gently. "Maybe your head is still scrambled from what happened to you. I was in a fire when I was younger; I – I started it. You must believe me; I'm different now – because of you. You've changed me. At my old school, I hated my roommates. They took the mickey all the time, stole my money, battered me until I was purple all over. So I started a fire, I still don't know why. Everyone managed to get out, but I got stuck near the exit. The fire-fighters had to come in and get me but I still have my memories."

He hadn't stopped holding Bex during his confession, and now she hugged him back tightly. They stood there for a long time, before finally Bex leaned back to stare in Jerome's eyes. "We're both burned, Jerome," she said quietly. "Maybe we can help each other heal." Jerome stared at her, before leaning down to kiss her once more.

The next week passed pleasantly for the Anubis students. Jerome and Alfie planned several new pranks, which earned them several detentions. Bex, Mara and Nina were voted Top Students of the Term, and as a result Anubis House received no homework. Fabian, Joy and Patricia were asked to make a presentation in the Frobisher Library, on the importance of archaeology. It was a success and although Bex couldn't make the actual date, she did give them lots of points and tips for it.

"The trick is to always appear confident," she said. "Never 'um' and 'ah', then they realise that you don't know what you're talking about." Joy put up her hand. "Sorry, but we're only doing a presentation on the importance of archaeology." Bex shook her head. "Any presentation is important! Now, what's your actual plan? Are you doing, like, a history or something?" Joy looked at her. "But you're going to be there, aren't you?" With a regretful, secret smile, Bex shook her head. "I'm really sorry – I'd be there if I could! But I have to be somewhere else." By this time Nina and Amber had walked in.

"What's going on?" Nina asked curiously. Patricia gestured to Bex. "She says she can't come to the presentation on Thursday!" "I'm really sorry – I have somewhere I need to be," Bex said urgently. "I can't miss it." Amber looked at her slyly. "Going somewhere, with a certain someone?" she asked knowingly. Rebecca looked at her, annoyed. "Actually, no. I'm meeting – someone," and with that she walked quickly out of the room.

Nina looked after her curiously. Fabian laughed, breaking the silence. "Curioser and curioser," he said. Joy smiled. "Looks like someone has a secret life!"


	12. Frobisher Library

Dinner was loud. Everyone had noticed the new piano sitting in the corner, and privately everyone agreed amongst themselves that it was _much_ better than the telescope which had once stood in its place. Jerome and Rebecca sat next to each other, every so often glancing at each other and smiling secretively. Once or twice Jerome entwined his fingers with hers under the table, to which Bex squeezed his hand. Alfie was telling a long joke to Patricia, who looked like she was dying of boredom. Nina, Fabian and Amber were whispering to each other at their end of the table. Joy, Mick and Mara were chattering about something involving a lizard and a chemistry lab. Sighing, Bex looked around at them all. The housemates chatter died as they realised Bex had something to say. "I just wanted to say, to all of you – thank you. Thank you for accepting me and letting me become a member of the House of Anubis. Thank you for being better friends than I've ever known before in my life." Joy and Mara led the clapping as Jerome gave her a hug, whispering in her ear as he did so, "You're more than welcome, my dear." As the clapping died down Fabian nodded at Amber, putting their badly constructed plan into action.

"So," she said loudly, addressing Rebecca, "Would you answer one question for us? Just one?" Rebecca smiled. "Of course, what would you like to know?" By way of answer, Amber grabbed Bex's sleeve and pushed it up, exposing the blood-red tattoo to everyone at the table. "What is _that?"_ Amber exclaimed triumphantly, not noticing that Bex had tears springing to her eyes. "It's none of your concern, Amber," she retorted. But now the rest of the House was looking at her. "You do know it's illegal for us to get tattoo's, right?" "Why is it so red?" "Wow, Rebecca the rebel, much." "That's just weird. Why do that to yourself?" It was the last comment that made Bex finally snap. She pushed her chair away and stood up. "You think I asked for this?" she said angrily, pointing to her wrist. "You think I honestly want a – a REMINDER of what happened to me?" Nina stood up. "Bex, come back!" and ran out of the room after her. They all heard the front door slamming shut. "Nice one, Amber," Jerome said disgustedly and sighed heavily, his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry," Amber cried. "I didn't realise it was such a touchy subject." Jerome glared at her. "Yeah well, you should have realised. She's a nice pretty girl, what would she want with a tattoo like that?" Too late, he realised that the students were now looking at him. "Do you guys have a thing going on, Jerome?" Joy asked slyly, and slowly he nodded, going very red. "Actually, yes. We got together right after she told me how the man who murdered her parents tattooed her with their blood." He stood up and walked out of the room, leaving behind a silence so great, it seemed to affect the entire house.


	13. Sibuna Emergency

Rebecca ran out of the House, tears beginning to form, and yet, with nowhere to go, she simply took off for the woods, not knowing or caring that Nina was close behind. Eventually she found herself in front of an old building. A sign beside the door proclaimed it to be the "Frobisher Library". Bex threw open the door and ran inside. Nina came into view, and walked slowly behind her into the library, only to immediately duck out again. There was someone else with Bex in the library, and they were talking.

Nina peered through a window and managed to make out some muffled strains of conversation. "You must be more careful!" the hooded stranger was saying. "I did all I could to help you get away, but what good will that do if you show that tattoo around like it's nothing?"

"You think I _asked_ for them to find out?" Nina could hear Bex's angry retort, and although she was concerned for the girl, she was proud of her too. "I carry the scars here, Raven. Not you, and not anyone else!"

"Rebecca, if they find out who you really are, it will bring about your downfall! We need to keep you hidden from that monster!" There was a silence. Then Bex spoke, and when she did, her voice was icy and deadly.

"What are you talking about? My downfall, what does that mean?" What Nina heard next made her gasp in horror. "I mean, that if he gets his hands on you again, your fate will be sealed. He will collect on his promise that he made you." Nina barely heard Rebecca's crying out, as she started running back to the house.

"GUYS!" Nina burst into Jerome and Alfie's room. Amber was sitting on Alfie's bed, watching the boys wrestle with interest. "We need a Sibuna meeting. Like, now." They all stopped and looked at her. "What's going on?" Amber asked, with a confused expression on her face. "Just meet me in our room in two minutes. We need to talk. I'll go get Fabian, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, Nina marched out of the room. Jerome jumped to his feet, stretching his arms above his head. "Come on, then. Let's go and get this over with."

A very short while later, Nina, Amber, Alfie, Jerome and Fabian were sitting in a circle in Nina and Amber's room. They all were watching Nina, slack-jawed, as she explained what she had overheard. "So I followed Bex, and she ended up running straight to the Frobisher Library – creepy, I know. But there was someone else in there with her." Jerome sat up straighter. "Did you see his face?" Nina shook her head, and Jerome slumped again, disappointed. "Great, so my girlfriend is sneaking around to meet other people already." "No, that's not it, Jerome," said Nina. "It was more like – like he was helping her. He said something about helping her get away, and keeping her hidden, and something about a promise." Jerome spoke again, his voice hoarse. "Wait – something about collecting a promise?" Nina nodded, and Jerome went pale. They all looked at him in concern. "What is it, buddy?" Alfie asked. Jerome stared at them all in horror, then swallowed loudly. "When she told me that – that man murdered her parents, she – she told me something else as well," he whispered. "She said that when – they had died - he told her that she was his. That one day he would reclaim the favour he gave Bex by sparing her life." The Sibuna gang sat there in silence as the meaning of the words sank in. Amber was the first one to speak. "So, if this man finds her, she'll…" Amber couldn't finish the sentence, so Fabian finished it for her. "She'll die. He'll kill her."

All of a sudden, the faint strains of beautiful music floated through the house. The Sibuna gang looked at each other. Alfie realised what was happening first. "Guys, someone's playing the piano."


	14. Story of My Life

Bex had walked back to the house. She had wiped her face in the library bathrooms, and although most of her makeup was now gone, making her snow-pale as before, her hair was still ringlets, bouncing out into her natural curls. She opened the door and went into the living room. Immediately, she noticed the beautiful piano in the corner, where the telescope had once stood. She moved closer beside it, stroking the keys with her fingertips. Taking a deep breath, she sat down at the piano, and softly, she began to play. Rebecca was hesitant at first – it had been so long since she had played, or indeed, been allowed to play – but gradually her fingers began to remember the notes and the chords and the keys. She began to make music up on the spot, pouring all her feelings into the song which was flowing from her heart and was singing through the piano.

Bex sat there, unaware of the world around her, simply playing her heart out. She was so lost in the music that she didn't realise that the entire House had gathered round to hear her play. Eventually, she stopped, and with a start realised that the Housemates were standing there in silence, spellbound.

"Do you like it?" she asked shyly. Nina spoke first. "I – that – wow," she said. "Could you play it again?" Bex looked around at the others who all nodded eagerly, and, just like that, they all made themselves comfortable on the sofas. She smiled timidly, and, turning back to the piano, began her song again.

It started off with a gentle melody, a simple tune which was rich in harmonies. It was pretty and light. But then the music began to darken. Bex, hardly aware of what she was doing, began to play a lower melody, which overthrew her butterfly song. The song became darker and darker, and before long Bex was playing her terror out on the keys, making the piano hum in dark, melodious tones. The melody twisted and turned, getting faster and faster, with high, minor chords – until slowly, the tune weaved its way back into a crescending major scale.

The rest of the House sat there, spellbound, until Bex had finished. They looked on in silence whilst Bex slowly turned back around to face them. "How d'you like it?" she asked.

"It was incredible. Did you just make that up off the top of your head?" Mick asked. She nodded, and everyone looked surprised. "So, what's it called?" asked Mara cheekily. Bex turned pale and cleared her throat. "It doesn't have a title. It's the story of my life through music." She looked suddenly tired. "If you don't mind, it's been a long day. If you could tell Trudy not to bother with my supper – I think I'm going to go to bed." She left the room, and the housemates slowly departed as well, leaving the Sibuna's in the living room.

"That was incredible," breathed Nina. "Who knew?" They all looked at Jerome, who shrugged. "Hey, I didn't know my girlfriend was some kind of Mozart."

However, his face darkened. "The story of my life, she called it…How music of that music was sad?" "I dunno, nearly all of it?" answered Alfie. He began to speak again, but Amber interrupted him. "Nina, didn't you say she was hidden or something?" Nina nodded, looking curiously at her. "Well, what better way to keep her safe if she had the rest of Sibuna watching out for her?" Fabian joined in eagerly. "Amber, that's really smart! We don't have to tell her about last year, Nina, but we can watch out for her – she'll be safer if she has us watching her back. Isn't that right, Jerome? Jerome?" They looked around themselves, but Jerome was nowhere to be found. "Maybe he's gone to talk to Bex?" Amber suggested.


	15. Bex's Confession

Jerome took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Come in!" Bex called. He pushed open the door to find Bex lying in bed, reading a book. She closed the book as he shut the door behind him. "Hey, Jerome. You okay?" Jerome smiled, and sat down on the edge of her bed. Bex sat upright and crossed her legs. "Actually, I was coming to see if you were okay. That music – it was wonderful but if that's really your life story, then…" he trailed away as Bex leant forward to kiss him on the cheek. "Honestly, I'm fine. A bit shaken up because of dinner, but I'll be okay." Jerome stiffened at the mention of dinner. "Amber is really sorry, Bex. She didn't realise what the tattoo meant. But," he pressed on hurriedly, anxious to get this out of the way. "Nina followed you to the Frobisher library, Bex. She saw you talking to someone who mentioned the promise." Rebecca went pale. "So you all know?" Jerome shook his head. "No, just me, Nina, Fabian, Amber and Alfie." Bex nodded. "The Sibuna group."

"You know about that?" Jerome asked, surprised. "I know that you guys have a secret group. I told Amber and Nina ages ago that I'd worked it out. They were thinking about letting me join, or something…" Rebecca replied shyly.

"Oh." Jerome was surprised, but he realised he shouldn't have been. Bex was a smart girl, she was easily clever enough to figure out how much time the five of them spent together. "Well, we were downstairs and – and Nina told us what she had overheard." Bex went pale. "What did she hear, Rebecca?" Jerome was pleading with her now, Rebecca could see that. "She overheard me talking to my protector." "What, a guardian?" Bex got up and paced her room. "It's…complicated. He's my protector – his job is to remind me that somewhere, out there, is a man who wants me dead."

"Nina said that she heard something about keeping you hidden. Are you in hiding, Bex? Is this why you're really here?" Jerome stood up and put his arms around her as she started to cry. "I don't want to die, Jerome. I don't want to end up like Mum and Dad on the floor, d-d-dead!" He held her close whilst tears dribbled down his shirt. "I don't want to die," she sobbed. "I want my mum and dad back. Make it stop, make it stop!" She cried harder, as if in pain, and collapsed onto the floor. Jerome scrambled to sit down with her. He caught her as she fell, but things suddenly took a turn for the worse.

All at once, Bex lay still. She went unnaturally pale, and apart from the faint rise of her chest, Jerome was almost unable to tell that she was still alive. Clutching her harder, he began to shout. "Help me! Somebody, help me!" He heard footsteps outside and shouted louder. "Please! Rebecca's collapsed! _Anyone_! HELP ME!" The door opened and Mara put her head round the door, eyes widening as she saw the state Rebecca was in. "Oh my gosh!" she cried. "Mara, get Trudy! Or Victor! _ANYONE_!" Jerome shouted. Mara nodded and left like a shot.


	16. The Eye Of Horus

Nina and Amber were walking back up the stairs to their room when Mara came out of the corridor. She ran to Victor's office and opened the door. "What is it, Miss Jaffray? Can you not tell I am busy?" Victor grumbled. "Please, come quick! Rebecca has collapsed in her room! I think she's really ill! Please, hurry!" Mara cried. Nina and Amber looked at each other, but froze as Victor came hurtling out of his office. "Move out of the way!" he shouted at them. "Go and fetch Trudy!" Nina nodded and the two girls ran back down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Trudy was making cookies for dessert, 'helped' by Fabian and Mick – who were really stealing bits of cookie dough whenever they got the chance.

"Nina, what's the matter, love?" Trudy asked good-naturedly. Her smile vanished as she caught the look on Nina's face. "Please, Trudy, you have to come quickly. Mara says Rebecca's collapsed, Victor sent us to come get you!" Amber said rapidly. "Oh my goodness," Trudy said, shocked, and ran upstairs, followed closely by Nina and Amber. The two boys looked at each other and followed suit – although Mick came back for a final bit of cookie dough.

Meanwhile, Jerome had managed to lift Rebecca off the floor. She was heavy, but not so that he would drop her. "I really ought to keep going to the gym if this is going to be a regular thing," he muttered to himself as he lowered her onto her bed. He went to touch her wrist to check her pulse, but he stopped in horror.

Bex's tattoo was glowing, the dried blood looking as fresh as if it had only been tattooed a few minutes ago. It was bright red, and burning to look at. Jerome picked up Rebecca's wrist and immediately dropped it. "Owch!" he yelled, clutching his hand. The bloody tattoo had _burnt_ him. How was that even possible? He looked at his hand and was horrified to see a faint scar identical to Bex's tattoo. Another burn? Really?

The door opened suddenly and Victor rushed in. "Get out of the way, boy!" he spat as he kneeled by Bex's side. Then he looked at Jerome. "Get out, Jerome. Send Trudy in here as you leave," he said, and suddenly Jerome had the strangest sensation that _they were on the same side_. He nodded and left, allowing Trudy to rush past him. The others were gathered outside. "What's going on?" "Is she okay?" "Why can't we see her?" Jerome shook his head, a worried expression on his face. "I don't know, guys. I just don't know."


	17. Burning Brand

Later that evening the Housemates were in the living room. Nina and Fabian were curled up on the sofa, talking quietly to Amber and Joy. Patricia was chatting to Mick, whilst Alfie was doing the dishes. Mara was sitting at the table, reading. "It's not fair, Bex is supposed to be helping me!" Alfie grumbled. Mara turned round. "Do you think you could say that again, Alfie?" she said sharply. "I don't think Jerome could hear you." Alfie looked suitably chastened as he went back to scrubbing dishes. Nina sat up on the sofa. "Actually, where is Jerome? I haven't seen him for a while." Patricia shrugged. "No idea. Last I saw of him was when I went back upstairs to get my phone – he was still pacing up and down the corridor." Mara looked up at this point. "Poor Jerome, he must be so worried," sighed Joy.

"I dunno, I think she's faking." As one, the housemates turned round to look at Alfie, who was holding a dinner plate in a pink-gloved hand.

"Are you joking?" Fabian said incredulously. "Bex is seriously ill, you saw what she was like at the initiation." "Exactly! That's my point!" Alfie argued back. "Who nearly cries, calms down, and screams all in the same few minutes? And who is that good at picking locks without being some kind of spy ninja?! No one. I'm not saying she's not nice, I think she's good for Jerome. I just don't trust her, and to be honest I'm not sure anyone should." The Anubis students were silent after his little outburst. Mara closed her book with a snap and stood up, sighing. "I think you're being horrible, Alfie. I'm going to go and see if Jerome's okay." Mick stood up as well. "Oh, I'll come with you, babes -"

"No, Mick. Quit following me around, okay? Jeez, sometimes I feel like I never get any peace or quiet in this bloody house." Mara stormed out of the room, leaving behind a stunned silence. Amber looked at Mick. "You okay?" Mick looked at her, sighed, and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be okay, Ambs." There was a loud thud from the kitchen, and Alfie cried for help. "Guys, the floor's too slippery for me to get up!" The others laughed. "Coming, Alfie!" Nina called, and she and Fabian went to help him up.

Jerome was slumped against the wall. He had been waiting for hours for the all-clear, yet, with each passing minute, he grew more and more worried. His hand was still smarting, glowing faintly – Jerome knew instinctively that when his burn stopped glowing, his Rebecca would be okay. "C'mon Bex," he whispered to himself. "Please be okay." The corridor door opened with a creak and Mara poked her head round the door. "How are you doing?" she whispered. Jerome raised his head and smiled at her wearily. "You'd be surprised how comfortable the floor gets after a while," he said tiredly. She smiled and sat down next to him. "How is she?" she said, looking at him. He yawned and shrugged. "Haven't got the foggiest. I hear the odd bit of mumbling but nothing much more than that." Mara took his hand and squeezed it gently. "It's going to be okay, Jerome, I promise." He smiled without conviction and squeezed her hand back.

It was strange, Jerome thought, that now his girlfriend was ill, the girl he used to fancy was holding his hand, and did he care? Not at all. It was strange, Mara holding his hand. He blushed as he realised that she was still holding it. Looking at her, Jerome cleared his throat and began to pull away. Mara leant in close. "Jerome, I just need to know something. Did you fancy me last year?" Without looking away, he turned his head towards the door. "This isn't something we should be discussing, Mara -" He was cut short by her kissing him gently on the cheek. "Even though I was with Mick most of the time, I still thought about you – about what might have happened between us." Jerome stared at her, stunned. Now she told him? "I don't think this is appropriate, Mara." He tried to pull away, but she clung to his hand. He stared into her big brown eyes as she leant closer, her lips touching his.

Jerome couldn't believe it. Why was it that the moment he found someone who wanted him, the girl he had wanted for years decided she wanted him too. It was a sweet, simple kiss, but nothing compared to the electrifying experience of his and Rebecca's kiss underneath the trees. Abruptly, he heard Bex cry out in pain from behind the door, and he tore away from Mara. He scrambled to his feet, and moved to the other side of the corridor. The corridor door opened and Mick came in. "Mara, do you want to watch a film tonight? Your pick?" Mara stared at him hesitantly, then looked back at Jerome. "No thanks, Mick," she said finally. "It's been a long day, I think I'm just going to go to bed." Mick looked upset. "Mara, we haven't done anything together for weeks! Ugh, whatever." He left and Mara looked at Jerome. "The offer's there," she said softly. Jerome looked at her, unsmiling. "I'm not buying." Mara's eyes filled with tears, and she ran into her room, slamming the door. Jerome was left on his own again, thankful for the peace and quiet. The door opened again and this time it was Alfie, sopping wet, his clothes covered in soap suds. "Whatcha doing, Jerome?" Jerome looked at him. "Still waiting. I haven't heard anything since Victor booted me out." Alfie shook his head. "I hope she's okay, mate," he said, and went back downstairs.

"Well? Any news from Jerome?" Nina asked as Alfie came back into the kitchen. She, Fabian and Amber had clustered round the kitchen island, waiting to hear back from Alfie's scout out. "Nope. He says he hasn't heard anything." Almost as soon as he said it, however, there was the sound of someone screaming in absolute terror – or was it pain? The Sibuna's looked at each other. "Bex!" they cried, and ran upstairs.

Jerome had his eyes closed when he heard the scream. He jumped to his feet, and without even thinking about Victor, flung open the door to Bex's room. "Rebecca!" he gasped. Victor got to his feet and stood in Jerome's way. "Please, Victor, I need to know she's alright!" Jerome argued angrily. "She will be fine, Jerome. Trust me," Victor said quietly, and it seemed to Jerome that in those few words Victor was showing more compassion than he had ever shown before. What was going on? He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Nina and Amber standing at the doorway. "Is she okay?" Amber asked. "She will be fine, Miss Millington. Now, I suggest you all get to bed." When the two girls didn't move, Victor repeated himself. "Did you hear me? I said go to bed! Miss Onez will be fine." Nina spoke tentatively. "This is our room as well, Victor. Should we share with the other girls tonight?" Trudy cleared her throat. Jerome jumped at the sound of her voice – he had barely noticed her. "I think you two can share with me, there's more than enough room. Rebecca needs some peace and quiet now." The housemates left, leaving Victor and Trudy alone with Rebecca.


	18. The Mark of Isis

"Thank goodness it's over," Trudy said. "That poor child – whatever made the murderer do that to her?" Victor shrugged. "I have no idea, Trudy, but that letter gave us specific instructions. We must do what it says as best we can."

Bex stirred behind them, and the two adults immediately went to her side. "What – what happened?" she whispered, but was faced with two confused faces. "Can't you – can't you understand me? What's happening!" Victor leant in close. "Do you understand me, Rebecca?" he said calmly. Bex nodded and Trudy gasped. In confusion, Bex followed her horrified gaze down to her wrist, and saw that her tattoo was burning red, like the setting sun. She started to panic but Trudy knelt beside her and held her hand. Victor sighed, almost visibly thinking of what to do. "Okay, Miss Onez. This might hurt a little." He produced a matchbox from his pocket and lit one of the matches. It flared up, and Bex was entranced by the flame. She stared at it, not realising that Victor was holding the flame to her tattoo. It suddenly burned and she cried out again. The bedroom door flew open and to Victor's horror Jerome was standing in the doorway. "What are you DOING?!" he cried and made to run to Bex. Trudy held him back. "I'm sorry, Jerome, we have to do this!" she said, wrestling him to Nina's bed. He sat down and watched in horror as Bex cried from the burning pain. Suddenly Victor blew the match out and helped her sit up. "Can you understand me, Rebecca?" he asked. Bex smiled, and nodded, and opened her mouth. "نعم، لا يسعني. هل يمكن أن نفهم لي?" Victor sighed. "What the -?" Jerome said incredulously. "Why can't she speak in English?" Victor turned around to face him. "Unfortunately the man who branded her – the man who killed her parents – knew what he was doing. If she tries to remember too much about what happened that night then this sets in. She's been tattooed with the Eye of Horus but I suspect that underneath the ink – or the blood, in this case – is a rune from the goddess Isis. Until it wears off, she'll be speaking in a mixture of Arabic and English." Bex cried out from behind them. She reached for Jerome, who leapt off the bed and knelt down beside her, holding her hand. "What's wrong, Bex?" he said urgently. "Tell me what the matter is, I want to help you!" She struggled to explain herself.

"I - please – يساعدني - I don't understand - إلهة قادم! Jerome!" He looked at her, and ignoring Victor and Trudy, kissed her gently. She kissed him back, and sparks flew – literally. Jerome pulled away from Bex as her tattoo sparked and flared onto his burn. "Ow!" he cried out in pain. Victor grabbed Bex's wrist. The tattoo had stopped sparking, and was back to its normal form. Jerome surreptitiously checked his hand. It, too, had stopped glowing. "Miss Onez? Can you speak English?" Bex looked at him. "Yes, I think so," she said carefully. "Thank you, Victor. And Trudy. I'm so sorry." Victor shook his head, an actual smile appearing on his face. "No, Miss Rebecca, we have you to thank for. Will you come and see me in my office tomorrow morning before school? I think we will need to discuss a few things." Bex nodded, and Victor and Trudy left the room. Jerome stared after them, then turned to look back at Rebecca. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, concerned. Bex nodded. "I'm fine. I'm so sorry for what happened, I had no idea that it was going to turn out like that. I think I'm going to turn in now, you can tell Amber and Nina they're welcome to come back." Jerome kissed her on the forehead. "Alright, if you're sure."

Meanwhile, Trudy and Victor were in his office. "What was she saying, Victor? In Arabic?" Victor looked at her. "She said 'Help me. The goddess is waking.'" Trudy stopped her pacing and looked at him, horrified. "The goddess is waking? What on earth could that mean?" Victor sighed. "It means she's more dangerous than either of us could imagine. I have a very great fear that the rune of Isis is not just a rune." Trudy looked at him, confused. "What on earth do you mean, Victor?"

"I mean," Victor said, leaning on his desk, "That it could be her name."


	19. Sibuna

Jerome walked down the stairs into the hall, feeling unbelievably happy. His girlfriend was okay. She was safe, and sleeping. Victor and Trudy, for some odd reason, were looking out for her. It was all going perfectly, for a change –

"Ow!" he complained, as Joy slapped him. Slightly dazed, he came to, to see an angry Joy looking up at him. "WHY IS MARA CRYING?" she shouted. "What did you say, Clarke? And don't lie to me, I know it was you." Jerome looked at her in shock. "What? I never said anything to Mara." Joy shook her head in disbelief. "I don't believe you -" she started to say, but was silenced as Jerome slammed her again the stair banister. His hand was over her mouth as he hissed, "If you must know, Joy, Mara came onto me. I never said anything to start her crying except tell her I was with Bex." He let go of her and stared at her. "Tell Mara I'm sorry for her being upset, but she had no right to kiss me." Joy stared back at him, shocked. "She kissed you?" Jerome nodded.

"Oh," Joy said, stunned. She had been completely wrong in her judgment of Jerome. The boy had been nuts about Mara, but evidently Bex meant more to him than Mara had. "Well, I'm not one to say this but I'm impressed, Clarke." She turned to go back up the stairs, before a parting comment. "Nina and the others wanted to see you, by the way." Jerome nodded and went into the kitchen.

Almost as soon as he came into view, the Sibuna's crowded around him. "Well?" "What's happened?" "Is she okay?" Jerome nodded. "She's going to be fine, I think. She's sleeping now but she said that Amber and Nina are welcome to their own beds tonight." He turned to leave, but Alfie held him back. "Wait, mate. We've been talking about what happened last term." Jerome's face darkened at the mention of it. "What about it?"

"We want you to become an official Sibuna!" Amber cried. Jerome blinked. Him, one of the gang? Swallowing, he smiled brightly and nodded. "But that's not everything we wanted to talk to you about, Jerome," Nina said quickly. "We've discussed it between us, and we want Bex in as well. We like her a lot and from what I heard she's in danger. I don't think we should leave her to her own devices." Jerome smiled at them all, a proper smile, without malice or cunning. "I should think she'd be happy to join."

"Yay!" Amber cried happily. "Now, when she's better, we'll organise a date for the ceremony." Jerome stared at her in disbelief as she skipped happily out of the room. He turned to Alfie. "Right, I'm going to go to bed. I'm shattered. Night guys." He left the room and Nina immediately bade the boys goodnight, before she too went upstairs.

She opened the door to her bedroom quietly, before being hit in the face with a…pillow? "Guys? What's going on?" She opened her eyes to find Amber and Bex jumping on the beds, throwing all the pillows around the room. They were both giggling, and Nina was surprised to see Bex so happy and bouncy. "You're okay!" she said delightedly, giving Bex a hug. Rebecca hugged her back, her eyes bright. "Yeah, I'm completely fine now – just have to be careful for a couple of days, Victor said." There was a knock on the door. It opened and Mara stuck her head round. "Guys, I'm trying to sleep," she complained, before glaring at Bex. "Keep the noise down, yeah?" She closed the door, and Bex turned to the others, a baffled look on her face. "What have I done?" she asked, confused. "I haven't done anything to Mara." Nina and Amber shrugged, before sitting on the floor. Bex joined them. "So, what did you overhear?"

Nina and Amber exchanged glances. "Well," Nina said slowly, "We heard a lot of screaming – like, a lot of screaming. We were so worried, Bex." Rebecca looked at both of them. "You only heard the screaming?" The others nodded and Bex relaxed. "But here's the thing," Amber said. "We've been talking about it, and, well – we want you to become an official Sibuna!" Bex looked at her incredulously. "No way! Me, a Sibuna? Guys, that's amazing! I'm so honoured!" The girls had a massive group hug. Then Nina drew back. "But, Bex, we need to know – what is that tattoo?"

Bex's face darkened. She turned away and got into bed. "I'll tell you guys in the morning. It's not something you want to hear before sleeping."


	20. Lost, Feathers and Slime

The next morning, Bex woke to the sound of birds chirping. It was a perfectly lovely day, but her heart was hammering and she was covered in a light sheen of sweat. She sat upright, and checked her tattoo to see if it was burning. It wasn't, just a dark, dull red that had painted her dreams. Nina stirred, and opened her eyes to see Bex staring into space. She gasped and threw back the covers, jumping out of bed.

"Bex? Bex! Are you okay?" Nina shook her shoulders, and Bex turned her head to look at her as if from a distance. "There was a man in my head, Sarah," she whispered softly, as her eyes came back to focus on Nina. "And he was burning me." "Sarah?" Nina asked, confused. "I meant Nina," Bex replied hurriedly, and it seemed to Nina that Bex was lost. Lost not only in her own mind, but in this Anubis House as well.

Nina leant forward and gave the other girl a hug. "Hey, it's going to be okay," she said softly. She caught Bex looking down at her tattoo and something clicked into place. "Bex," she said in horror, "Did you get –_ branded_?" Rebecca nodded softly and tears filled her eyes. "Every night," she said hoarsely, "Every night I remember what happened all those years ago. I can't stop the memories, Nina, they burn my mind!" Nina put her arms around Bex and gave her a hug, her own mind racing. "You poor thing," she said softly. "But hey, it's morning now, okay? No more nightmares." Bex gave her a watery smile.

Behind them, Amber yawned and stretched, pulling off her eyemask in the same motion. "Good morning, world," she said happily. "Good morning, guys!" Her smile faded as she looked at Nina and Bex. "Did I miss something?" she demanded. "'Cause if I did, you need to tell me – like, RIGHT NOW!" Nina looked at Bex.

"You tell her, Nina," she said softly, and even Amber could tell that something was wrong. "I…need some time alone." She got up and left the room, still in her pyjamas. Nina turned to Amber. "The guy who murdered her parents," she said quietly, "He branded her with that tattoo." Amber stared at her, then nodded. "Jerome said as much, to be honest, after you chased Bex to the library."

Nina stared at her. "Wow, I missed a lot, didn't I?" Amber nodded as a knock came on the door. "Girls, are you awake?" came Trudy's voice. "Just about!" Nina called back, and she and Amber exchanged a relieved look. "Well, you need to be ready very shortly. Breakfast is almost ready!" Nina rolled her eyes at Amber. "Don't worry, Trudy, we'll be there!" Amber stood up and opened her wardrobe. Taking a good look through her clothes, she eventually picked out a smart grey jumper, her school skirt and tie, her knee-high socks, and for good measure, a pair of low heels covered in black velvet. She collected her other belongings and opened the bedroom door, saying to Nina as she went, "Shower time!" Nina laughed to herself, then she too began to get dressed.

Jerome stretched and yawned, finally opening his eyes to see the ceiling above his bed. On the other side of the room Alfie was still asleep. Jerome grinned. Perfect. Time for a prank. Carefully, he got off the bed and tiptoed to his chest of drawers. Rifling through them, Jerome smiled evilly as he withdrew a small, neon green bottle, labelled "Stinky Slime". Chuckling, he gently unscrewed the top of the bottle and crept across the bedroom, stopping next to Alfie. Alfie gave a large snore and turned on his side, leaving one hand flopping out towards Jerome. Jerome poured a generous gloop gently into Alfie's outstretched palm, leaving a foul smell in the air. Turning away from the smell, Jerome grabbed the feather duster from Alfie's dresser and quickly tickled his nose. Sighing in his sleep, poor Alfie fell for the trick and swiped the disgusting slime all over his face. He woke with a start to find Jerome convulsing with laughter.

"Okay, what is that smell?" Alfie complained, before Jerome laughed even harder and pointed at him. Alfie slowly realised that the foul stuff that was stinking up the room was on – his –

"AAAAAAIIIEEEEEEEEEE!" Alfie gave a girl-like scream. "JEROME! Get this OFF ME!" Jerome looked at him with a maniacal grin. "Make me," he said, but wasn't prepared for Alfie to jump out of bed and run at him. "Jerome! I'M GOING TO GET YOU!" Alfie yelled, as he chased Jerome out of the room.

Jerome smiled to himself as he sprinted up the stairs. It was part of his and Alfie's quirky friendship – pranking each other was how they showed that they cared. However, he was about to open the door to the girls corridor when it flew open, hitting him in the face. Jerome fell on the floor, banging his head as he went down. Alfie skidded to a halt as Bex poked her head around the door.

"Jerome!" she cried, and immediately knelt down next to him. "I am so sorry! I didn't even think about it…" she trailed away as he groaned, rubbing his head. Alfie knelt down on the other side. "Jerome, you okay mate?" Jerome looked at him dazedly, and shook his head very slowly. "Ow," he mumbled, and Rebecca looked at Alfie in terror. "Is he going to be okay?" she whispered, her eyes wide with fright. "Please tell me he's going to be okay, Alfie!"

Alfie stared at her. "Yeah, he's going to be fine. It's just a bump on the head," he said at last, looking at her in suspicion. "Help me get him back to our room, he needs to lie down for a bit." Bex nodded, her eyes watery, as she and Alfie lifted Jerome between them, his lanky frame dragging somewhat. Together they hoisted him down the stairs, and back into his room. Jerome groaned as he slumped onto the bed, and Bex turned to Alfie. "You're sure he'll be fine?" she asked, her eyes wide with worry. "Bex, it's just a bump on the head. He's going to be fine. Are you sure you didn't bump your head?" Alfie asked her jokingly. Rebecca stared at him, before crying out. She turned pale and grabbed hold of her wrist, wincing in pain. "Sorry, Alfie, I gotta go!" and with that she raced out of the room. Alfie stared after her. "That girl is seriously strange," he muttered under his breath, then turned back to check if Jerome was okay.


	21. Glowing Silver

Nina and Amber were doing their makeup when Bex burst into their room. She was shaking and tears filled her eyes as the others stared at her. "What's going on? Bex, are you okay?" Nina asked, but Amber ran forward to give the girl a hug as Bex shook her head. She opened her mouth but instead of talking, cried out in pain. Amber looked down at Bex's wrist, which was glowing underneath her own hand. She turned to Nina in fright. "We need to get Victor," she said, and immediately Bex nodded. "Wait, why aren't you talking, Bex? What's happening to you?" Nina said.

Tears trickled down Rebecca's face as she shook her head, before running out of the room. Nina and Amber looked at each other before they followed suit. The two girls were close enough behind to see Bex running into Victor's office.

"What's going on?" Amber asked Nina quietly. Nina shrugged, and dropped to all fours. Sighing, Amber joined her on the floor as they crawled slowly to listen at the door. "This is just too early for sleuthing, Nina." "Shh! I can't hear what they're saying!" Nina whispered back.

Victor cleared his throat. "When did this happen, Rebecca?" They heard no reply but Victor spoke again. "You still retain full control of your body, is that correct?" Another pause. "I'm afraid we will have to burn it again. This will hurt. I'm very sorry." Nina and Amber peeked up to see Victor lighting a match, and holding it gently to Bex's wrist. Nina gasped as she saw that Bex's tattoo was glowing bright red. She motioned to Amber and they slowly crawled back down the corridor and into their room again, just as they heard Bex cry out in pain.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Alfie and Fabian were staring at Jerome, who was still lying on the bed. "What are we going to do?" Alfie asked. "My parents are going to kill me if they find out that I almost knocked someone out." Fabian looked at him. "Alfie, this wasn't you. This was -"

He was interrupted by a loud gasp from Jerome, who sat bolt upright, gasping for air. He checked his hand. It was glowing faintly, and as he turned to Alfie and Fabian, who were staring at him in shock, it sparked slightly, shocking him. He winced and finished Fabian's sentence. "Bex," he said hoarsely. Then, louder, "Bex!" Fabian and Alfie stood back as Jerome jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. Alfie turned to Fabian, who shrugged. "Sometimes it's like I don't even know what he's thinking," Alfie grumbled, and began to get ready for school. Fabian smiled, shaking his head, and left to get to breakfast.

Bex sat there, tears rolling down her cheeks as the flame bit and burned her wrist. Of all the annoying things, why did this have to happen to her – again? The flame flickered and died, leaving Bex's tattoo back to its normal colour once again. She stayed motionless, before opening her mouth to speak. "Thankyou," she said quietly. Victor studied her. "Whilst you're here, Miss Onez, I think there are some things that I need to discuss with you."

Rebecca stared at him. Slowly, she shook her head. "This is not the time, Victor Rodenmaar," she said. Victor stared at her. "Rebecca, I don't think you quite understand –"

"But I do," she interrupted. "Now is not the time. Trust me." They stared at one another, Victors' dark brown eyes crinkled with confusion. "Miss Onez, what are you talking about?" Rebecca stood up and made to leave the room, before turning back to Victor, sadness in her eyes. "There is so much more that has to happen before anything will make sense again. By the weekend, everything will have changed." She gave Victor a sad smile and walked out of the door, only to be met by a panic-stricken Jerome. "Are you okay?" he asked urgently. "Did your tattoo burn again, are you safe?" Bex looked at him sadly. "I'm fine, Jerome. Now come on, breakfast soon. I need to go and get dressed." Jerome stood there as she kissed him on the cheek, then shook his head and went back downstairs to get ready for school, checking his hand again as he went down the stairs.

School passed pleasantly that week. Jerome, now fully recovered from his bang on the head, had forgiven Bex for their earlier mishap, and the two of them had snuck off almost every lunchtime to their secret place. Nina, Patricia and Amber had been off timetable to do research in the library, whilst Mick coached Fabian and Alfie in the "art of sport", as he called it. Hilarity had ensued, with the majority of the Anubis students laughing at them as they struggled to keep up with Mick. Eventually, the boys had stopped after colliding with Victor, knocking Corbierre from his hands and spraying him with sweat. "Rutter? Lewis! You are in for a WORLD of trouble!" was Victors' only retort, before plucking Corbierre hastily from the mud and striding off. Fabian and Alfie looked at each other resignedly before following.

Back in Anubis House, Victor carefully sponged Corbierre as Fabian and Alfie sat dejectedly in front of him. Finally, Victor looked up. "Toothbrush duty, one week, for both of you," he said, and the two boys groaned. "Enough!" barked Victor, and they were instantly silent. "I also have a further job for you. I know that you and the other Anubis students have formed a – _**group**_ – of some sort. I want you and your group to watch Miss Onez. Make sure she comes to no harm." He gestured to the door. "You may leave," and so they did.

Once the door was shut, the boys began walking back to school. "What did he mean, watch out for Bex?" Alfie said nervously. Fabian shrugged. "We should ask Nina. C'mon, we're going to get in even more trouble if we don't get back soon."

Back at school, Alfie and Fabian relayed the new information to Nina and Amber. "So what, we just have to watch her and make sure she doesn't get into any trouble?" Fabian nodded. "Apparently so. But here's the thing – she has strange meetings with secret people, she has a tattoo, and someone murdered her parents. And now Victor wants us to watch her?" Alfie took up Fabian's speech. "She must either have really bad luck or everything's connected…" he trailed away and Amber looked at him curiously. "What are you thinking, Alfie?" Alfie hesitated. "I just don't think that she's who she says she is." The others stared at him.

"Not like she has a secret identity…I just don't trust her. She's really secretive and there's all this weird stuff that's been happening ever since Bex arrived. I just can't shake the feeling that she's hiding something." Nina and Amber exchanged glances. Fabian caught them looking. "What? Do you two know something?" Nina sighed. "Earlier this week, the day that Jerome hit his head – Rebecca had a dream. She woke up and was completely spaced out, like she was a coma or something." Fabian and Alfie stared at her in shock as Nina shivered. "It was so creepy, she was really out of it. Then she said something like, 'There was a man in my head, he was burning me.' And – and she called me Sarah." Amber gasped. "Like Sarah Frobisher-Smythe? Is that what I missed this morning? Wow, Nina, you really need to fill me in better next time."

"I guess," Nina answered. "But it was like she thought I was her."

Alfie sighed. Fabian looked at him. "Surely now your questions about Rebecca have been answered?" Alfie thought about it, a puzzled expression on his face. "It answers one of them. The other question is – why is Victor so intent on protecting her?" "It's simple," answered Amber. "We have to get some proof of why she's here and why Victor wants her. Like her diary! I bet that would have so much in it." The others nodded, but before they could discuss anything further, the lunch bell rang. Fabian jumped to his feet and offered Nina a hand, before they walked to class with Amber and Alfie.


End file.
